Jewelry Storage and Travel

Since I’m traveling I figure it’s a good time to talk about jewelry storage and packing jewelry for travel. I must admit I was more excited to pack my jewelry for this trip than I was my clothes but actually that really shouldn’t surprise me or anyone else. So as I sit on the beach writing this in advance of posting it on Saturday I dream of what I have packed back at the condo. And maybe what we’ll find today on the beach! There is surely no shortage of sellers and I was just asked if I wanted to buy a necklace….No gracias.

I think jewelry storage is personal. You have to think about what’s important to you. Do you want easy access? Do you want to be able to see everything? Do you want everything in one place? I struggle with this right now. I have a stand up jewelry case that won’t fit everything. I would like to have one for gold and one for silver because organization is important to me. All of my gold is kept here. To make room for new gold ring purchases, I bought a case for my silver rings that sits on a jewelry box that holds some necklaces that sits on an end table that has a drawer that also holds more pieces and important boxes that held jewelry I’ve received. This drives me crazy. Having two stand up cases would be ideal for me I just have to make the investment. In the one case I have I try to keep all of my rings that aren’t real in little plastic baggies. I think it helps to keep them from turning. Side note – if you mix real and fashion like I do, it’s important to take off any rings that aren’t real when you wash your hands or have your hands in water or when using lotion. Nicole, the private jeweler behind @ringconcierge, recently posted a photo of one of her jewelry drawers. I asked her if she had the storage made to fit the drawer and she commented that she got it at The Container Store and you can fit them to your drawer’s specs – genius! Was just asked again if I want to buy a necklace…again…No gracias.

And again…No gracias. This is what it’s like sitting on the beach in Puerto Vallarta. I’m not complaining! And then there’s the muffin man who just stopped by. We buy fresh jalapeño, ham and cheese pastries from him just about every day. On the beach. Two for 60 pesos. That’s about $3. LOVE IT!

Okay back to jewelry. For travel I purchased two pieces. One is a small box and the other is a fold up piece that kind of looks like a wallet. They are both small with limited space but I found them really cheap at Nordstrom Rack. I think I paid $5 a piece for them. I’ve used the box before but I realized on this trip that when I put my rings in the ring section, the mirror above hits them.

This isn’t good for stones or bands that could get scratched so I put a few little plastic baggies in between them. These travel pieces need to be small so you can pack them in your carry on if you’re flying. And I still recommend using baggies for rings even if you are packing them in your travel box. I love the little box but I think I’ll be on the lookout for something else for rings after noticing the mirror issue. In the meantime, I’ll use the baggies or a few soft tissues to keep the mirror from hitting them directly.

One of my other favorite Instagram jewelry accounts is another private jeweler, @stephaniegottlieb who has also talked about jewelry storage. She travels with GORGEOUS pieces that are ALL REAL. She packs everything in baggies and keeps them together by category: rings, bracelets, earrings, etc. I’ve also read that packing necklaces in little baggies with the end of the chain sealed out of the bag will help keep them from tangling.

The baggies seem so easy and then I guess you just pack them in something soft to keep them safe. I also don’t find the roll up travel piece I bought as effective. I put some earrings in the one deep compartment but for me that was all I was felt comfortable putting in there. Maybe if I knew how someone else used it I’d feel better about using it.

Now that I think about the baggies that is actually exactly how I travel home from Mexico with gifts and personal finds. The guys put pieces in little baggies – some plastic and some knit. WARNING somewhat mild political joke coming… So these guys down here really know what they’re doing. If you need me I’ll be with Juan and Eggar (noted in a previous post) on this side of the wall.

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2 thoughts on “Jewelry Storage and Travel”

Very good ideas ideas. With my jewelry bag like the one you show in your blog, I lay down a tissue and place my necklace on it making sure the chain is straight, then I roll up the tissue and lay it in the bag. That way, whatever is on the chain, doesn’t get scratched. Hope you are having a good time. Love ya, your FML